Patriot Payroll vs Wave Payroll
Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Patriot Payroll costs less for a six-person team.- Patriot Payroll fits retail shop, restaurant or café, trades or contractor, online store.
Wave Payroll: One price in all 50 states.
| Compare | Patriot PayrollPatriot Software | Wave PayrollWave Financial |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | The cheapest full-service payroll for a handful of employees | Payroll add-on for Wave accounting users |
| Starting price | From $17/mo + $4/person | From $40/mo + $6/person |
| Six-person team | $41/mo | $76/mo |
| Plans | Basic $17/mo + $4/worker (you file taxes); Full Service $37/mo + $5/worker; 30-day free trial; 50% off for 3 months | $40/mo + $6 per employee + $6 per contractor paid; tax service in all 50 states; Canada $25 CAD + $6 (not Quebec); does not file 1099s |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free trial |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Users | Per worker paid | No minimum |
| Both connect to | No shared connections on record. | |
| Also connects to | QuickBooks Online, Patriot Accounting | Wave |
| Team size | Just me · 2–10 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US | US · CA |
| Phone support | Every plan | None listed |
| Live chat | Every plan | Every plan |
| Support hours | Phone: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday · Live chat: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday | Live chat: Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern |
| Incidents posted | 2 incidents posted on Patriot Software's status page, which covers all Patriot Software products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 2 marked major or critical by Patriot Software. Status page | 5 incidents posted on Wave Financial's status page, which covers all Wave Financial products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 1 marked major or critical by Wave Financial. Status page |
| Fit: Retail shop | 78 | 65 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 75 | 60 |
| Fit: Service business | 82 | 80 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 72 | 65 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 82 | 72 |
| Fit: Online store | 65 | 50 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Patriot Payroll | Visit Wave Payroll | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. How we calculate prices
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